I have to say the best thing I ever did was take a lesson after self teaching myself. I had a great French instructor who only let us bind our front foot. This not only taught me the movement limits I had with the board but also showed me just how subtle you need to be. Plus after riding with 1 foot out with no stomp pad not only is your confidence huge when you eventually bind up fully but you also have loads of control and understanding about the physics of the board.

Oh and it also taught me how to avoid ploughing into the groups of skiers who inevitably stop right at the bottom of the slope at the end of a ski lift! When you can comfortably ride, turn and stop with 1 foot out it gets you away from some potentially sticky situations and you can usually glide to the top of the run and strap in without stopping